Environmental Groups Demand Truck Traffic Ban in Dortmund Due to Particulate Matter
Environmental organizations BUND and DUH have filed an urgent request for the city of Dortmund and the Arnsberg district administration to implement truck traffic bans on streets exceeding particulate matter limits.
On April 8, 2005, environmental organizations BUND (Federation for Environment and Nature Conservation Germany) and Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH) submitted an urgent request to the city of Dortmund and the Arnsberg district administration. The request demands that the through-traffic of trucks on Brackeler Straße and other streets in Dortmund heavily burdened by particulate matter be banned by April 13.
The organizations also call for "all other necessary measures" to be taken to ensure compliance with the particulate matter limit values that have been in effect since the beginning of the year. This request supports a resident of Brackeler Straße who lives in close proximity to the state environmental office's measurement station. Dortmund is the fourth city in Germany to have exceeded the particulate matter limit value 35 times, following Munich, Stuttgart, and Düsseldorf.
According to Dr. Werner Reh, transport expert for BUND, "the time for waiting is over." He emphasized that authorities must act now, not later, and that citizens have a right to clean air. Should the authorities fail to comply with the request within the specified timeframe, BUND and DUH plan to file a lawsuit to legally enforce immediate and effective measures.
The environmental organizations stress that restrictions on truck traffic should not be limited to Brackeler Straße alone but should encompass several streets. Otherwise, the problem will merely be shifted to other routes, such as the B1 federal highway or other inner-city roads. They advocate for a binding truck route concept that keeps traffic away from motorways due to toll avoidance and manages destination and origin traffic in a city-compatible manner.
BUND and DUH urged the district administrator of Arnsberg, Renate Drewke, to take Düsseldorf as an example. There, pressure from the district government has led to action, and the initial successes of the truck through-traffic ban are visible. Furthermore, comprehensive driving bans for diesel vehicles without particle filters are being prepared for the southern city center. DUH considers the "Düsseldorf model" of an environmental zone essential for a significant reduction in particulate matter pollution and thus serves as a benchmark for both Dortmund and the rest of Germany.